We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Guitar Hero dev’s new game snubs physical instruments – here’s why

Harmonix's new game Fuser eschews the peripherals you know and love

Fuser, Harmonix's new game

Harmonix, the developer of rhythm action hits such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, has revealed its new musical game, Fuser. It’s a DJing game that evokes memories of those classic titles and others like DJ Hero – but unlike most of those series, Fuser doesn’t have any physical peripherals.

There are a number of motivations behind this departure, according to Harmonix. “Accessibility is the big reason,” the developer’s director of marketing and communication, Dan Walsh, tells PCGamesN. “And it makes it a lot easier to get it to market in terms of figuring out manufacturing, shipping, inventory, and also a price point. It’s a lot more competitive when you’re not trying to get people to buy peripherals at the same time that they’re buying a core game.

“And it allows people to just pick it up and play. You can download it digitally. You can still buy physical copies in stores, of course. But you can immediately give it a go with everything you have in your house and be making some mixes.”

Fuser will otherwise feel familiar to anyone who has played a previous Harmonix game. It does differ, however, in that it has you creating your own music and mixes from existing tracks, rather than simply playing along to those songs.

“Every time you play, you’re creating something different, something new,” Walsh explains. “Your experience is going to change every time, even if you’re playing the same mission. That’s because you’re combining elements from different songs into something new as you play – as a by-product of your playing the game.”

Fuser launches this autumn. For more on the game, check out our extended thoughts on how Fuser makes you feel like a real DJ.

Additional reporting by Will Freeman.